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DroppedNeedle

DroppedNeedle is a self-hosted, multi-user music request and discovery app that acquires albums from Soulseek and Usenet.

  • Media Applications
  • Media Servers
  • Tools & Utilities
DroppedNeedle is a self-hosted, multi-user music request and discovery app that acquires albums from Soulseek and Usenet. It scans, tags, fingerprints, and organises your library, searches MusicBrainz, allows users to request albums or tracks, suggests music based on listening history, and sends listening data to ListenBrainz and Last.fm. It also exposes Subsonic- and Jellyfin-compatible server endpoints so existing client apps can stream your music. It is useful for homelab users who want a self-hosted replacement for Lidarr, with built-in library management and acquisition.

Platform availability

Available on 2 of 9 platforms

  • Unraid
  • TrueNAS (not listed)
  • Umbrel (not listed)
  • ZimaOS (not listed)
  • Proxmox
  • Helm (not listed)
  • Mac (not listed)
  • Windows (not listed)
  • Linux (not listed)

Health score?A 0-100 score computed nightly from four factors: maintained (40%: recent commits and steady activity), popular (25%: GitHub stars, log scale), easy to install (20%: platforms, install notes, setup guides, Docker image) and light to run (15%: minimum RAM, ARM support). When the source code has been checked, a fifth factor, security check (20%: automated scan for committed secrets, unsafe desktop-app settings, known-vulnerable dependencies and project hygiene; any serious finding caps it at 20), is added. Factors without data are left out and the rest are rescaled.

76/100 Good

Maintained
100last commit 15 days ago
Popular
631,466 GitHub stars
Easy to install
452 install platforms, install notes, Docker image
Light to run
No data

Based on 3 of 4 factors.

Availability: platform listings confirmed today, links checked 15 days ago

GitHub stars
1,466
Open issues
168
Last commit
2026-09-28
Latest release
v2.15.0
License
AGPL-3.0
Activity
declining

Checked 7 days ago - source: GitHub (DroppedNeedle/DroppedNeedle)

Resources & Compatibility

ARM (e.g. Raspberry Pi) is supported.

Checked 15 days ago - source: Docker Hub image tags and published docs

First-install notes

  • Fill in compose settings before starting Set PUID/PGID (the user and group IDs the container runs as), PORT (usually 8688), TZ, and SLSKD_DOWNLOADS_PATH (the downloads folder inside the app) in the compose file. Use your real music/download paths too; wrong values can cause permission errors, missing downloads, or a web page that won't open. source
  • Set up slskd and DroppedNeedle download link In slskd, set your SoulSeek username/password, at least one shared folder, and a long random API key (a secret password for the download app); then enter the same key and a URL like http://slskd:5030 in DroppedNeedle's Download Client settings. Without a shared folder and matching key, slskd can't download/share properly and DroppedNeedle can't use it. source
  • Keep music and downloads on same drive Point the compose file at real folders on your computer for music and downloads, and keep those folders on the same disk/filesystem if possible. If they are on different disks, moving finished downloads into your library can fail; also back up the ./config folder so your settings survive reinstalls. source

Fetched 11 days ago - each note links to its source

Alternatives

No alternatives collected yet.

Common questions

Which Docker compose settings must be filled in before starting DroppedNeedle?

Set PUID/PGID, PORT, TZ, and SLSKD_DOWNLOADS_PATH in the compose file. Also point it at real music and download paths, because wrong values can cause permission errors, missing downloads, or a web page that won't open.

How do I connect DroppedNeedle to Soulseek?

Run slskd yourself and configure its Soulseek username/password, at least one shared folder, and a long random API key. Then enter the same key and the slskd URL in DroppedNeedle's Download Client settings.

Do the music and download folders need to be on the same filesystem?

Yes, keep the compose file's music and download folders on the same disk/filesystem if possible. If they are on different disks, moving finished downloads into your library can fail.

Can I use Usenet alongside Soulseek?

DroppedNeedle can drive your own slskd client or pull from Usenet via SABnzbd and Newznab indexers. You can run both, and one priority setting selects which source is tried first.

Can existing music clients stream the library?

It can be played back from Jellyfin, Navidrome, and Plex.

Answers sourced from droppedneedle.com, droppedneedle.com, droppedneedle.com, github.com

Community

Collected 9 days ago - public community threads